On July 18th, Chip Yates flew the all-electric Flight of the Century for the first time. The 16-minute flight allowed the pilot to get comfortable with the Long-EZ controls as well as the electric system. The Flight of the Century team took a Burt Rutan Long-EZ (N158TG) and converted it to an all-electric flying test bed aircraft to continue development of their patent-pending Infinite Range Electric Flight (IREF) technology. They write, “As a second mission, the aircraft is also being equipped to attempt fastest top speed for a manned electric aircraft, and highest altitude for a manned electric aircraft world records in the summer of 2012. Our plane is referred to as a Long-ESA, for ‘Electric Speed & Altitude’ in reference to the world record attempts it will make this year, while honoring the incredible genius of Burt Rutan’s many designs, including the iconic ‘Long-EZ.’ ” UPDATE: on July 19, the Long-ESA achieved a speed of 202.6mph during its second test flight, breaking the 200mph barrier for electric aircraft.

Here’s a video of the Long-ESA breaking the electric speed record!

Read more about the aircraft battery system and the team’s efforts by clicking here.

Gordon – I think you could have ended your critic with “out of power on landing”, everything you said after that is rather redundant, don’t you think? What type of approach did you want to see without power??

I love the thought of electric vehicles. I personally believe if it weren’t for big oil, this stuff would be much further along, but it’s awesome to see some people doing it anyhow. I can only imagine what the future holds. Fortunately this guy had enough altitude and glide. He barely made the runway and his adrenaline rush was obvious.